Brake



(No Model.)

W. S. EASTON. BRAKE.

No. 594,388. Patented Nov. 30,1897.

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WALTER S. EASTON, OF ELK LIOK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J.C. LOWRY, SOMERSET, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,388, dated November30, 1897. Application l'iled December 11, 1896. Serial No. 616,299. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER S. EASTON, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Elk Lick, in the county of Somerset and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBrakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to brakes, and is designed especially for useupon mining cars or trucks.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and reliablebraking mechanism for use upon the trucks used in mining, whereby theoperator may simultaneously apply the brake-shoes to all of thetruck-wheels with the necessary force to bring the truck to astandstill.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a truck,showing the improved brake applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section showing the wedge for operating the brake-beams.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wedge and operating-lever.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of a truck, 2 theaxles, and 3 the wheels thereof.

For the purpose of carrying out the present invention I employ a pair ofbrake-beams 4, the same comprisingoblique intermediate portions 5, whichcross each other and are'connected by a common pivot 6. This pivot maybe in the form of a bolt for connecting the beams to the body of thetruck and supporting the same therefrom. The end portions of the beams 4are extended in substantially parallel relation, as indicated at 7,'andhave pivotally connected to their outer ends brakeshoes 8, adapted to beforced into frictional contact with the rims of the wheels 3 for brakingthe latter.

9 designates a wedge which extends through the floor or platform of thecar or truckwith itsinner end downward, the lower end of the wedge beinghooked or provided with a stop 10 for preventing the raising of thewedge too high. At its upper wide end the wedge is provided with a plateor bracket 11, extending parallel thereto and secured thereon by meansof bolts or rivets, as at 12. This bracket 11, as well as the main bodyof the wedge, is provided with a series of perforations 13 to receive apin 14, which passes through the operating-lever 15 at a pointintermediate the ends of the latter, the said lever 15 being fulcrumedat 16 upon a post or. standard on the car or truck in any convenientmanner.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by grasping the freeend of the lever 15 the operator may depress said lever, thereby forcingthe wedge 9 between the adjacent ends of the opposing brake-beams. Thisspreads said beams apart at both ends and thereby forces the brake-shoesinto operative engagement with the wheels. Thus a simple, durable, andpowerful brake is obtained,which will enable the operator to bring thetruck or car to a standstill.

The brake is capable of being applied to any ordinary mining car ortruck at aminimum expense.

The wedge may be arranged at one side of the car and not pass throughthe fioor or platform, as described.

The improved brake may also be applied to any railway car or truck.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is o 1. Thecombination with a four-wheel truck, of a pair of brake-beams interposedbetween the wheels of the truck and connected pivotally to the truck andalso provided with brakeshoes, and a wedge for spreading said beams 5and forcing the shoes simultaneously into contact with all of thewheels, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a wheeled truck,

of a pair of brake-beams crossing each other at intermediate points andpivotally connected together and also provided at or near theirextremities with brake-shoes for en gaging the wheels, a wedgeinterposed between said beams at one side of their pivotal connection,and means for advancing said wedge for the purpose of spreading thebeams, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a wheeled truck, of a pair of brake-beamsarranged between the truck-axles and crossing each other at 111-terniediate points and pivotally connected as described, brake-shoescarried by the outer ends of said beams, a wedge operating between saidbeams at one side of their fulcrum, and an operating lever fulerumed onthe truck and having pivotal connection with said wedge, said leverbeing adapted to raise and lower the wedge, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose described.

4. The combination with a wheeled truck, of crossed brake-beamsinterposed between the truck-axles and carrying brake-shoes at or neartheir ends,a vertically-movable wedge interposed between said beams andprovided at its lower end with a stop for limiting the upward movementof the wedge, a bracket secured to the wedge at one side near its upperend, said bracket and wedge being provided with transversely-aliningopenings, an operating-lever fulerumed on the truck, and a pin passingthrough said lever and also through the wedge and its bracket, wherebythe relative positions of the operating-lever and wedge may be adjusted,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

\VALTER S. EASTON.

lVitnesses:

M. II. WAGNER, L. O. BoYER.

